Climate change, increasing population and polluted environment are some of the major problems we have to deal with. As we have already started to see its effects all over the world.
Some of the concerned humans among us are doing their best to save our planet from a disastrous fate. But you have to understand it’s not a one-man task. We all have to pay our due, do whatever we can to save this planet.
Saying no to plastic is one of the things that people can do, as their contribution. Though, who doesn’t want a straw in their drinks? Right? People are idiots, polluting their home planet.
Luckily we humans are not the only species on this planet. According to a scientific study, wild bees are recycling plastic.
How these tiny insects clearing our mess
Plastic can’t decompose easily, plastic is piling up in ecosystems all over the world and that not just oceans and lakes. Maybe the help from these tiny bees is not enough to completely deal with. But they are doing what they can.
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A study published in the journal Ecosphere revealed that scientists have found behavioural flexibility and adaptation in species, especially insects, to increasingly plastic-rich environments.
There are two different species of leafcutter bees that are recycling plastic by using it to build their nests. Both the species are started to use varieties of plastic that mimic the traditional materials bees use to build their nest.
Leafcutter bees don’t build big colonies, they are not known for storing bees. Their nests are small you can say their lifestyle is quite different from the honeybees. Instead of beehives, wild leafcutter bees like to build their nests in underground holes, tree cavities or crevices in buildings.
These leafcutter bees usually bite off pieces of leaves and flowers to build their nest. But researchers have found that three of eight bees are building their nest with the fragments of plastic bags. According to the research, “All pieces were of the same white glossy colour and ‘plastic bag’ consistency, and thus presumably from the same source.”
Not just in America but the same behaviour of these leafcutter bees is also observed in Argentina. Although, these bees don’t make honey but they are still very helpful (not just by recycling plastic). They do pollinate crops such as alfalfa, carrots, canola and melons.
Also Read: 20 Simple Ways To Adopt A Zero Waste Lifestyle
In Conclusion:
You don’t have to do something extraordinary to deal with the problem. Just use less plastic and recycle whatever you have already used and help the world become clean and green again.
